To be Humble before Him

In chapter 18 of the Gospel Luke, Luke recounts one of Jesus' parables in which Christ talks about the importance of humility in reference to true righteousness (Luke 18:9-14).  In this parable, two men go to the temple to pray.  The first, a Pharisee, stands up proudly and thanks the Lord that he is not like other men but is righteous and good to keep all of God's commandments and that he is better than other men.  Next to the Pharisee is another man, a tax collecter, who can't even stand or look to heaven but simply beats his breast and cries out, "God have mercy to me, a sinner!"  Jesus concludes the parable with a simple but serious statement: for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.

This is a major theme of the Kingdom of God that is strikingly antithetical to the kingdoms of the world.  Penitence and humility before the awesomeness of God is the only appropriate response to His presence.  Think of Isaiah's call, "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts (Isa. 6:5)."

To further this point, think of John's vision of the Lord in Revelation, who, having seen Jesus in His glory, fell down weeping as if dead (Rev. 1:17).  When we come face to face with the Lord, we have the opportunity for the truest and most sincere worship that is grounded in an attitude of penitence and humility before the heavenly Father.

Worship, entering into the very presence of the holy Lord, is the most sobering reality there is.  The Lord is the light that reveals everything that is hidden, especially those parts of our inner selves that have been buried in the depths of our beings.  When we step into His heavenly presence, He illuminates our truest nature and we are forced to confront ourselves in light of who He is.  This can be  devastating.

However, when we humble ourselves in prayer to the Lord, He is sure to comfort and to keep us in His love.  As Jesus says multiple times throughout the Gospels, whoever exalts himself will be humbled but whoever humbles himself will be exalted before the Lord.  This is not just a single expression but is a principle of the Kingdom of God.

Although humbling ourselves can be painful because we are forced to honestly examine our sinning fleshly self in light of God's holiness.  However painful this may be, it doesn't come close to the wrath of humility that we are faced with if God is forced to humble our haughtiness.  Instead, the best way to meet the Lord is bowing before Him in humbleness so that we aren't crushed beneath Him as judge.  Let us then strive for humility before the heavenly Lord!